Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Rays need to Flush Blalock

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So Rays farmhand extraordinaire, Hank Blalock is starting to again make some loud noise with something other than his 34 inch bat. You knew it was coming, but you hoped he had more respect for himself and this Tampa Bay Rays franchise. Word is leaking out from all side, and even over the Internet that Blalock is hearing constant chatter (from his agent) of the mumbles and grumbles of other clubs looking for offensive help while he sitting there blasting the ball off the Blue Monster in Durham.

And if I was someone within the Tampa Bay Front Office, I would be beginning to be a bit annoyed at his spoiled child act flaring up again.

Most people around baseball might have forgotten Blaylock pulled this same “if you do not put me on your Major League roster, I will take my toys and go away” scene back during Spring Training, and the Rays did not budge an inch from their positioning.

At that time, no one within the MLBs many front offices or scouting departments were eager or even remotely responsive to the Rays trying to entice their brethren with Blalock’s persona across the phone/email trails. It seemed that most MLB people still had reservations about the 2-time All Star being a productive member of the baseball society at that time. And because of that, the Rays did not get a big bite or a favorable offer to even move Blalock.

But now the team might hear at least some introduction to trade discussions from places like Seattle, Washington, or maybe even parts unknown for Blalocks services due to their own team’s downfalls in offense or defense. There are several teams who might nibble this time at the Rays bait, but a huge bite might not even be forthcoming at this moment for Blalock.

But for me, this song and dance is getting more than a bit old to me.

Blalock do you think we are absentminded enough to forget you tried this same lame approach a few months ago, and it backfired in your smug mug.

Hank, buddy, pal, you tried this childish temper tantrum and had to swallow your pumped-up pride and take a plane, train and automobile ticket to Durham to try and showcase your talents to not just the Rays, but to the rest of the Major League. People had enough doubt in you to want to see you produce the “goods” again before they would even discuss your name in conversation. That my friend is a ego-blast that should have humbled you.

So you have gotten your own predesignated 100 minor league at bats, which might have been your own self-diagnosed starting point to begin your trail of exile from Rays-land. Or could it have been that you just reached your minor league boiling point because you are still doing the minor league bus thing and you and your agent think you are better than that.

I suspect a bit of both here. You know you have the Major League talent, but there have been more “no” votes than “yes” for your exile from the minor league survivor island before now. So maybe now that you have shown you still possess the Major League “pop” ( 4 HR, 23RBI) to go along with a nice consistent average (.366), it was time to make your exit visa a reality.

You have shown both yourself and the baseball world that you still got the goods and should maybe be basking in the MLB approved 5-star hotels eating expensive room service instead of getting your paltry minor league per deims that scream out Country Fried Steak or fast food. Maybe your appetite went from 3-squares to 5-star because of the whispers into your ears recently.

Maybe it is that Angel/Devil on your shoulder, or on your cellphone voice mail that is making the most noise behind the scenes. Uber-agent Scott Boras is not know for his tact and diplomatic talents when it comes to getting his clients what they want or desire. He is one of the great illusion masters of sports subterfuge and deceptive countermeasures to get what the client (he) wants before they expire on the marketplace shelf.

And I think it is more of a financial bully attack right now that Boras has pumped Blalock full to the brim with the 6-figures motivational speech of his choice that he is losing out every day at the minor league level.

And if these two want to play this game….fine. If I was Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, I would throw his name out into the fodder trade pit of the Major League Baseball and see which team comes to sniff out Blalock the most in the next few days.

You can be sure the Seattle Mariners will be sniffing around and carcass and might actually take the Rays up on a trade since they have seen more two sluggers bats go cold within the last month.

Blalock might hope that the Rays finally take it upon themselves to demote current Designated Hitter Pat Burrell and insert Blalock to be the rising hero when the team returns to Tropicana Field this weekend.

But I hope the Rays might are wiser than that. They might just want to see who, and what might be available and let this festering cancer completely flush itself from the Rays professional system.

Friedman already seems to not have a huge amount of professional respect or admiration for Blalock and his child’s games, maybe Friedman will send him to baseball purgatory as his reward. I think it would be fitting for Blalock to go somewhere he will lament and basically beg to get out of by the Trade deadline.

But for myself, I am ashamed we took the additional time, extra effort and considerable money to pay a guy like Blalock who always had a secondary plan in his mind the entire time he wore our colors. I truly do not think he ever had a viable intention to be a contributing member of this Rays team, but was going to use this franchise until he got what he wanted , then leave in a mad heated rush.

So I say without reservation, we should flush a **** like Blalock far away. Get what we can for this disgruntled Rays employee who can swat the ball with power, and play a corner infield position. Give him his ultimate freedom so he can make this huge mistake and sit back and see the error of his ways come October when the Rays are still playing baseball, and Blaylock has packed his gear and headed home. He doesn’t deserve to play for a team like the Rays.

He definitely doesn’t deserve teammates like the 25 players assembled who will go out and basically die for their team without showing their battle scars and wounds as an example of their chest-thumping glory.

I truly say Friedman and the Rays should toss Blalock into the porcelain bowl for a few days and let him float there as the Rays take offers and trade feelers about him. Let him marinate in his own devices, maybe even purge himself of some of his smug attitude and firm posturing.

Then, when he least expects it send him tossing and turning around the bowl with doubt and false expectations before you finally take the handle within your grasp and flush him forever from the confines of this Rays organization.

It was a crap shoot when we originally signed him to if Blalock could regain his Major League ability and be a viable option for the team if Burrell faltered or got injured. But Blalocks deceptive desire to vacate the Rays premises shows he had no true intentions of being a productive member of the Rays army. And for that, he should be gone by sunset in seven days. Hopefully we can flush this trouble down the drain without calling Roto-Rooter.

Jane,
In the beginning, it looked like a great insurance policy in case Pat Burrell was not the answer for the Rays.
But the minute he did his childish powerplay at the end of Spring Training, then after no one wanted him….He went to Triple-A.
But he did not go to pursue a chance to be with this team, but manipulate the Rays as much as he could to bank his talents and his convoluted contract to find a “out clause”.
Hope the door hits him on the way out, becuase I lost all respect for Blalock.

Jeff,
It was stated in the paper if the Rays bring him up he could have close to a million dollar this season.
Wow! That is 1 million more than I have made this season, or year for that fact.
Some people forget the fiscal state that is right outside their door and wait for the 1st and 15th for their check forgetting some of us little guys are starving and stuggling, but still we come see jerks like him play baseball.
I have no empathy, or sympathy for Blalock at all.

Boris has his own agenda. Sure it usually benefits a player’s pockets in the long run, but I still think these players should exercise more of themselves into their own affairs. As for Blalock, a learned a little whie ago how wrong I was about him. You just reconfirmed it for me Double R.
mikehttp://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

Mike,
I wanted to be wrong about the little bird on my shoulder about Blalock because of his injuries, he might have had a change of heart.
But when you heart turns to stone (or Boras control) there is no going back.
Friedman might be already on his Blackberry looking and cooking up his exit visa from Surham, North Carolina.
Hopefully the Rays can stockpile a little help in the way of a futre reliever, or a First Baseman out of it all.
But if Seattle was to play all of Griffey’s salary…I would take a straight-up trade…Word Up!

Jenn,
What is frustrating is the positive energy coming off this team and a guy like Blalock would rather “test” the waters.
I know there are a few teams out west that could/would use him in a heartbeat.
Maybe Friedman can get something for him, becuase he has been a waste of space to me after he showed some positive signs during the first few weeks playing.
Some people do not know what they have until they lose it…..Flush twice to be sure he is gone! lol

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